Hong Kong to publish ship recycling bill

The proposed measure will be introduced into the LegCo on 26 March.

The government of Hong Kong has announced that the Merchant Shipping (Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships) Bill will be published in the Gazette on 21 March.

In a statement, the government said this would be to enact legislation to implement the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) adopted on 15 May 2009.

HKC aims to ensure that ship recycling does not pose any unnecessary risk to human health, safety, or the environment. It will enter into force globally on 26 June 2025.

The Central People's Government is considering ratifying the HKC and will decide on its applicability to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

“Although some objectives of the HKC align with those of the local legislation, existing provisions of the local legislation are not enough to fully implement the requirements of the HKC,” the government said.

“A new ordinance with a new regulation will hence be enacted, with the new ordinance to be enacted first to ensure that it will be in place before the global entry-into-force date,” it added.